Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito delivers her State Of The City address. Image credit: William Alatriste/New York City Council

The Council Speaker announced $250 million for NYCHA and called on Albany to match the funds. On February 11, 2015 City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito delivered her first State of the City address at the Johnson Community Center in East Harlem. As part of the address’ overall theme to “lift every voice”, the Speaker announced a plan to commit $225 million in capital funding for the New York City Housing Authority to improve conditions in public housing buildings.

“Indeed, the cornerstone of affordable housing in New York City is NYCHA,” Speaker Mark-Viverito said in the address. The Speaker spoke of the need to shore up NYCHA funding, citing an $18 billion deficit in the Authority’s capital budget caused by the steady decline in federal funding, as well as “an almost complete halt” in state funding. The Council has taken up the issue of NYCHA’s funding problems, as recently as Tuesday’s oversight hearing.

Speaker Mark-Viverito stated the City plans to commit over $225 million in capital funding for NYCHA this fiscal year to improve conditions at NYCHA developments. The Speaker also announced that she was calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo, new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to match the City’s $225 million commitment from the $5 billion the state received in settlements with investment banks over charges of securities fraud and other misconduct. The Speaker’s letter was co-signed by all City Council members with public housing in their districts.

The Speaker also announced $25 million from the Council for critical system improvements including elevator replacement and repairs to heating and plumbing. She stated the funds would be steered to the developments with the most open work orders per borough. Speaking of leaking roofs, mold, and failed heating in the wintertime, Speaker Mark-Viverito said “In 2015, in New York City, this is simply unacceptable.”

For more information as well as full video of the address, visit the Speaker’s State of the City website here.

By: Michael Twomey (Michael is the CityLaw Fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2014.